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M10 - Secret Heirs
Everyone follows Hu Shen out of the room (including Kaito who sticks close to Bon’s side), and the Darmanitan pulls the rope to close the panel. They then leave the tower, going around it and through a garden splayed around the foot of the tower. : Okay, the other heirs are this way, in another garden nearby, but we should stop by the storage room and see how Zhì is do -- oh, never mind, here she comes. The Tyrogue skids to a stop in front of them, panting heavily, and Hu Shen claps a heavy hand on her back, making her cough in surprise. : Haa, Zhì, right on schedule! I trust you have something to tell our new friends here? : That’s right, master. The repairs are going well, but we need psychic energy to reawaken him. Guan Wai sent me to find you to complete the process. : I’m busy at the moment, though, taking our guests to the children -- : -- though they’re not so young anymore, haa. : Oh! But Master, what about--? : No need to panic, if you’re not careful you’ll turn into Guan Wai, haa! Go find Rei at the shrine in the bamboo forest to get started, I’ll meet up with you soon enough. : As you command, master. She bows before jogging off towards the shrine in question, and Hu Shen sighs in amusement before continuing forward. : That girl is quite the serious one, dedicated to her duties and loyal to a fault: I just wish she would relax every once in awhile. : With a master like Guan Wai, it must be next to impossible. : Oh Guan Wai isn’t that bad~ Sure he’s a bit uptight, but remember, he was the one that fought to keep you here when you were a baby. He was so angry when I sent you to Hisato, wouldn’t speak to me for weeks! But then again, that’s how he shows he cares. : … : Anyway, you truly are lucky to have arrived here when the heirs are here! In fact, their adoptive parent, the Chanyu merchant Kaito mentioned, is here too, having come to tell me how my niece is doing in the Shōgun’s service. When the kids learned where she was going, they apparently begged to come -- probably wanted to see my famous indoor firework show, haa! : Your niece works for Katsumi? : Sure does! My little Aiko, haa, it does my heart good to know that she is well. : I get the feeling we’ve heard that name before, sire. : That we have. And I can’t say I’m surprised; seems like everyone we’ve met thus far is connected to what happened to these secret heirs. The group reaches a rectangular building shoved against the side of a rock outcropping, a wrap-around porch stretching along the front of the building to a side garden. Flowers grow in patches in the garden… and two Leavanny and a Shiny Swadloon are there as well. The female Leavanny bounces up and down on her heels, arms held up in attack, and the male Leavanny nervously eyes his opponent’s pointy appendages, while the Swadloon sits on the porch, watching disinterestedly. : I-I dunno, sis, you always hit pretty hard… : Don’t worry, I’ll take it easy on ya! Get ready! : Hold it. We have company. Both Leavanny pause, turning to look at the group at the edge of the garden. The girl Leavanny lifts a hand in greeting, smiling confidently, and the boy, after scooching closer to his sister, also attempts a smile of his own, a bit faltering and timid. The Swadloon doesn’t move, still frowning -- but before anyone can do anything, a familiar Galvantula skitters out of the building. : Alright, you three, lunch is rea-- : Ah! Lord Alaric, what are you doing here?! : I could ask you the same thing, Sara. : They arrived here not too long ago. Their Claydol is being repaired, so I thought it would be a good idea for them to meet you and the children. : (grabbing Ju-long from the crowd and shoving him forward) And look who ELSE is here! Sara gasps, two of her legs flying up to cover her mouth. She hurries off the porch, stopping in front of Ju-long and looking up at him with joy. : Oh Ju-long, what a surprise! (standing back and looking him up and down) I see you are still wearing the clothes I knitted for you. They aren’t too flashy for you, are they? I was worried about that, due to your occupation, but I thought if anyone could make them work, it would be you! : (gazing over Sara’s head towards the young ‘mons in the garden) Are they…? : Dear me, how could I forget? Introductions: these are Altantsetseg and Otgonbayar the Leavanny, and the Swadloon is Munkhtsetseg. They are my children-- : --not by blood, oh no, I adopted them, but I raised them like they were my own. : Nice to meet all of you! : … though no offense to Mom, but maybe you should call us by our nicknames. It’s always hard for others to pronounce our full names. : You can call me Atla, my brother Otgon, and my sister Mu. : It is good to meet you. (offering a small smile) Truly. : Uhh, so, Ju-long, how did you come to meet the Aetherians? Last I heard, they were hunting you in Sazanami and now you’re here, and by Claydol no less! : He knows, Sara. All of it. : … Oh. : Master Hisato told me I had to come to this monastery, to find something that would help us in our fight against Wei Guang. I had no idea I would discover the truth of my origins -- or even that I had siblings. : So you’re our older brother, the one who was supposedly to be killed by Yi. Everyone stares at Mu who merely rolls her eyes exasperatedly. : Yes, we know who our original parents are. We’re not idiots. : W-What Mu means is that we figured it out pretty easily. : I did, at least. : We travel a lot with merchants and work with an international guild, it was only a matter of time before we put the pieces together from all the stories we heard. : Plus there was the fact that we couldn’t go to Gāng-Tiě except to this monastery and only with Sara. : We confronted Mom about it… even asked her what really happened to our parents… and she told us the truth. : Hardest thing I have ever had to do. : But now you’re reunited! Come, children, say hello to your brother! All three of them walk up to Ju-long, except for Mu who just shuffles. Atla reaches Ju-long first, and she abruptly punches him in the arm, making the Scizor flinch. : Good to finally meet face to face! You and me are gonna have to spar later on; I’ve got to defend my title as the strongest among my siblings. If you want to be the oldest, then you better meet my standards! : O-Oh, of course! (rubs feeling back into his arm) If you’re the oldest, then that must mean that you, Mu, are the middle child. : Got it in one. (eyes his mask hanging from his side) Wasn’t sure you’d figure that out, based on your choice of mask there. Little gaudy, don’t you think? : (under his breath to Gawain) I like this one. : Hmph. I’ll have you know I got this mask from Omori Shino himself, to hide the green mark on my face. : Don’t want to draw attention to yourself? I guess that’s smart… but still, that get-up really defeats the purpose, if you ask me. : Mu, be nice, he’s our brother. : Thank you, Otgon. : Oh, um, y-you’re welcome… : … So. You’re the youngest then. : Y-Yeah… : Um, Mu? What’s going on, why are they acting all weird? : No idea. This whole thing is awkward and dramatic. Can we just move on and do all this get-to-know-you stuff elsewhere -- like where I don’t have to watch it? : While I don’t agree with her tone, Mu is correct. We should get back to the task at hand. : Yeah, like how does all of this help us with Wei Guang and his attack on Sazanami? : Isn’t it obvious? We’re supposed to stop him. : What?! : Don’t hold back there, do you child? But yes, Mu is right: they must confront Wei Guang. : Oh no, not MY babies! I have fed them, washed them, even bandaged scrapes on their knees for over fifteen years -- I will NOT let them go into danger now! : Neither will I. Wei Guang has wanted all of us dead, so why would we waltz up to his palace and offer our heads on silver platters?! : That was when his daughter was still alive. Now, the four of you are the last things he has of her. In his old age, don’t you think the Emperor has learned to regret his actions? As much as he blames others, he also must blame himself for what has happened to his only child and wants peace with it, for it all to end. : You truly think that he will just welcome us with open arms? : Well, no, not exactly. Especially not you, with your species like your father and your personality. But Alta, Mu, and Otgon will be fine -- my gut says so. : The same gut that told you it’d be a good idea to set off fireworks indoors? : That’s the one! : Of course it is. : We’ll do it. : But Mu-- : No need to worry, big bro, we can handle Grandpa! : You can? : Well, sure! Who knows, he might even be glad to see us! : At any rate, it has to be done. Better we get it done and over with. : I-I guess I’ll come too -- if you guys are. : That-a-boy, Otgon! (again punching Ju-long’s upper arm) You’re coming too, right? Not gonna let Hu Shen’s uneasy gut keep you away, are you? : Heh, no, I guess not. I’ll come-- : --but we should ask Sara for her permission. : … : Mom? We don’t want to make you sad, but t-this is important. We need to help them. : I know that… : Oh, alright, I can’t say no to that face! Very well, if you all want to go, then I can’t stop you. : Though I am going with you. I doubt even Wei Guang would stoop so low as to harm a traveling merchant. : Good, that’s settled then! Now, I believe you all deserve a chance to rest -- let us return to where your Claydol is being worked on, and I will assist Rei with the repairs while you relax. A round of nods answer him, and the group follows Hu Shen back through the gardens and around the tower towards the front of the monastery, now accompanied by Sara and the other heirs. On the way back, Ju-long and his siblings begin to talk, and their aimless chatter floats over everyone else, an easy atmosphere that is very needed after such a tense discussion earlier in the day. As Ju-long laughs at something Atla said, his gaze goes towards the left, where he spots Guan Wai meditating on a mat in the center of a small garden. He slows, thinking… : Excuse me, everyone. There is something I need to discuss with Guan Wai. : Oh, well, okay. We’ll be with the others, just up ahead. : Don’t worry, I’ll see you later. Atla bobs her head, skipping ahead to catch up to the others, and Ju-long heads over to Guan Wai (missing Hu Shen’s knowing smile). The Scizor sits next to Guan Wai, waiting a moment before adopting the Mienshao’s pose, clasping his claws together and holding them on his lap. : Guan Wai. May I have a word? : I don’t know. Can you? : Uh, yes… I just wanted to say… Thank you. : … for what? : For wanting to keep me, when I was young. It means a lot to know that you cared. : … : Well, I can see I was right about one thing: that living in Sazanami would teach you nothing of discipline. : What makes you say that? : This particular meditation exercise requires absolute silence in order to have the full affect. If you cannot accomplish that, then there is no hope for you. : Hm, then in that case, let me prove you wrong… starting now. Ju-long closes his eyes, falling silent, and Guan Wai glances at him out of the corner of his eye before smiling and resuming his meditation. The exercise was almost over anyway; there would be time to talk afterward... The sun begins to dip behind the mountain, plunging the monastery into approaching darkness. With a cold bite in the air, Hu Shen lit a small bonfire in the side yard of a guest building where the Aetherians rested from their long journey. They gather around the flickering fires, some sleeping while others sit around and listen to the Gāng-Tiě heirs’ stories, roasting berries Zhì had managed to gather before returning to assist Hu Shen and Rei with Daichi’s repairs inside. Random bleeps can be heard from within the walls -- seems the Claydol was beginning to recover some of his functions -- and Alaric is with Gawain, Nicholas, Bon and Kaito on the house’s expansive deck, coiled near the steps leading down to the yard. : Finally -- (sighing) -- a chance to catch our breath. : We certainly have learned a lot today, haven’t we. : Way to understate it, kid. : The question is, what’s the plan? We have all the Gāng-Tiě heirs, and soon we’ll be able to use Daichi to take them to Wei and stop him from invading Sazanami, but what about Sazanami itself? : That’s easy -- we go kill Goro. : No, we need him alive. : Come again? Did you forget Kaito’s story? That guy sent the agents that killed the parents of those kids! : Did you forget it? From Kaito’s story, we know that Goro didn’t work alone. There was a Chanyu general who ordered the attack, not to mention the one that convinced them to go after the princess and not the Emperor himself. Who knows, maybe it’s the traitor we’ve been lookin’ for all this time! : Hmm, now that’s a thought… Kaito, do you know if Goro is responsible for the murder of the Emperor of Sazanami twenty years ago? : (thinks then shakes his head) : I’m with Kaito, doesn’t seem likely that Goro’d be behind that: he’s not smart enough for that. But it does make sense that he’d at least know something about it. : The Emperor’s death, the hunt for the princess and the heirs: these events all seem to be connected somehow, we’re just missing the final piece, and I suspect that if we can learn the Sazanamese traitor’s identity, we would figure it all out. : (flicking out a talon) Don’t worry, I’ll make Goro sing like a Fletchling before I silence him forever. : (just realizing what he’s said) Oh shit, Kaito, I mean… sorry. : (shrugs lazily) : I agree with Dad, we should keep Goro alive. I know he’s done some bad things, especially to your friend, but that’s no reason to kill him in cold blood! : While I appreciate your concern -- and the pun, heh, ‘cold blood,’ I get it -- I know what I’m doing, kid. Nicholas starts to say something, only to frown and sit against the house’s wall, hugging his legs to his chest and plopping his chin on his bent knees. Kaito gazes curiously at the prince before turning back to Gawain who thumps a fist into his other hand, leaning back on one of the columns holding up the house’s roof. : Okay, so let’s go over this. We head back to Sazanami, report to the Semi no Tamashī about Goro, find his hideout and make him talk. Then, we piece together everything we’ve learned and hopefully wrap it up before Wei arrives so we can stop him with our new “assets” when everyone’s calm. : Sounds ‘bout right. : Maybe we should split up -- one group goes with the heirs to Gāng-Tiě’s capital while the other goes to Sazanami with Daichi? : Hmm, not a bad idea. : Really?! You think so, Dad? : Sure. (smiling) I’m not too proud to ignore my son’s good sense. : Oh! Well, great! So, Bon, Kaito, and I will go to Sazanami while you and Gawain go with Ju-- : --and now that’s not a good idea. : Why, you still don’t trust Bon? After everything we’ve gone through! : Hey, daddy snake, if I had wanted to kill you, I would’ve DONE it already! : Not helping, Bon. : We’ll discuss the group splits later. Gawain, you should go find Ju-long and tell him-- A heavy banging on the monastery’s gates interrupts him. Alaric turns as Zhì runs out of the house, a lantern in her hand, and reaches the gates, shouting for them to announce themselves. They can’t hear their response, but whatever it was causes Zhì to put the lantern down on the ground and open the gate. As she speaks in hushed tones to someone just out of sight, Guan Wai and Ju-long arrive, waiting by the bonfire for Zhì to close the gate and hurry back to them, her gaze clouded with worry. : Who was that at the gate, Zhì? : A messenger, from one of the Chanyu leader’s son. : (slithering down the house’s steps) From Toga? : That’s right. (holding up a scroll) The message is for you, King Alaric. : Hand it to me. Zhì is about to argue but she’s silenced by Guan Wai’s sharp glare. She gives the scroll to Guan Wai who unfurls it and scans the message in silence… his frown deepening and settling into a scowl. : Want to clue us in, Master Sourpuss? Guan Wai rolls up the scroll and hands it back to Zhì who turns to give it to Gawain. : Excuse me, I’d like to see it, if you don’t mind. : I’ll tell you -- it says that Wei has already set out for Sazanami. : (drops the scroll) : In fact, he’s likely nearly across Avalon already, close to Sazanami’s borders. You are too late to stop him in Gāng-Tiě. : (leaning down to pick up the scroll) He’s right. “Lord Alaric, Hope this message reaches you in time. My dad’s scouts have learned that Wei Guang left Gāng-Tiě’s capital with his fastest fleet of ships almost a month ago. By the time you get this letter, it will be even longer than that. You have to get back to Sazanami, he is bound to reach the island soon. Good luck, Toga.” : What’re we standin’ around for, we’ve gotta GO! : Using Daichi? : (peering around the corner of the guest house’s door) Unwise! He’s not completely fixed! : If we use him now, there’s no telling where we’ll end up. : So then we go without him -- how long would it take to hike to Sazanami from here? : Very long. Besides, you can’t exactly ‘hike’ to it, it’s an island. : But we can’t just wait for Daichi to get fixed, we have to hurry before Grandpa destroys Sazanami. : … Then there’s only one thing to do. We have to take the risk and go with Daichi. : Agreed. All of you, prepare for departure; Gawain, help me write a letter back to Toga. : ‘Bout what? : We may not know much about this Chanyu general who ordered the attacks on the princess and her family, but I bet Toga and his father will have some more insight. : Heh, sic’ Guga on the traitor in Chanyu? Now we’re talkin’! The Charizard goes to find some parchment then returns to write Alaric’s message. As Alaric dictates the scroll’s contents, Hu Shen carries Daichi down to the yard, and everyone gathers around the Claydol, squeezing together to put a hand, wing, or whatever against the golem’s newly-repaired surface. The king and captain join them soon after, Alaric pausing to hand the scroll to Hu Shen. : I’m sorry for asking you to do this, after you’ve done so much for us already-- : Worry not, we’ll make sure this gets to Toga post-haste, and I’m sure you’ll reach Sazanami in just the nick of time! : Let me guess -- your gut tells you so? : Haa, you’re catching on~ : Good luck, everybody! : You’ll need it. Alaric nods then goes to Daichi, putting a tail tip on the Claydol’s side. : How much time do we have? : Not much. Wei Guang would have had to march to the coast first before setting sail, so judging by how long Toga said he left the capital, he’s close to Voluntan waters -- and that’s if we’re lucky. Otherwise, he must be nearing Sazanami. : Then let’s not waste any more time. Daichi, take us to location Sazanami! : Teleport to location Sazan-nami -- acknowledged. : Oh no, I’ve got a bad feeling ‘bout-- Everything goes white, lights washing out their surroundings. Unlike last time, there is not as much squeezing and tightening of the streams of brightness around them -- but the ride is still a bit bumpy, and everyone breathes a sigh of relief when the teleportation ends and they blink away the dots in their vision to get a look at their surroundings. : Good news, we’re not at the bottom of the sea. : But we’re not in Sazanami either. : Uh, Dad? That castle looks really familiar… : It can’t be--?! Aether’s castle stands tall in front of them, a cheery afternoon sun shining behind it.